Han/Leia
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Han Solo/Leia Organa |
| Alternative name(s): | Scoundress, H/L, Hanleia |
| Gender category: | het, M/F |
| Fandom: | Star Wars |
| Canonical?: | yes |
| Prevalence: | popular |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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Han/Leia is a Star Wars pairing. It was confirmed canonical in the last film of the original series, Return of the Jedi (1983).
Canon
Legends
In the original line of Expanded Universe tie-in novels (now known as Star Wars Legends, Han and Leia are married four years after the events of Return of the Jedi at the conclusion of The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton. They had three children, twins Jacen and Jaina, and Anakin Solo, all of whom became part of the New Jedi Order founded by their uncle Luke Skywalker. Han and Leia remained happily married, with both surviving until Legends was officially canceled by Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2014.
Disney
Between the original trilogy and the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Han and Leia get married following the Battle of Endor. Their son, Ben Solo was born nine months later. After Ben turned to the Dark Side, taking the name Kylo Ren, the betrayal drives Han and Leia apart. Leia formed the Resistance to combat the newly-risen First Order, and Han returned to smuggling alongside Chewbacca. In The Force Awakens, Han and Leia reunite after being estranged for years, shortly before Han's death at his son's hands.
Fandom
Han/Leia frequently appears as a secondary or background pairing in fanworks featuring other couples in both Legends and Disney canon continuities. Sometimes Luke is added as well, making Leia/Luke/Han.
Fans of this pairing were upset by the decision to break up an established couple in the backstory for The Force Awakens.
some days i get shocked all over again that star wars took a beloved ship that existed for almost 40 years and then proceeded to divorce and kill them both off within 4 years [1]
Notable Fanworks
Fanzines
- You Could Use a Good Kiss, published by Evil Twin Press (three issues; 1999-2000, 2016)
- Chronicles of the House of Alderaan, zines imagining different futures for Han and Leia than what the official novels depict (four issues; c. 1991-1993)
Fanfiction
- "Slow Boat to Bespin" by Anne Elizabeth Zeek & Barbara Wenk (1981)
- no one can stop me, not even gravity or nasa by magneticwave.
- A journey of a thousand miles by greyathena. Relationships have to start somewhere. Or, once you've jumped into a garbage chute with people you kind of either decide to like them or you don't.
- Identity by madame_alexandra
- from the ashes we rise by philthestone
Meta
- Han and Leia in Fanfiction by Sherry Magee by (1982)
- Star Wars: Han/Leia “Laser Brain and Her Highness-ness”, Archived version by aliaspiral at ship_manifesto (2004)
Fanvids
- han & leia wildest dreams by ASMc Videos
- han&leia i found love by Xx WePlayYourLife xX
- Han&Leia Hurricane by xTheHardestPaart
Fanmixes
- GOOD KISS by br0flovski
- kiss me in the flowers, love me under the stars by JettieBugRay
- just you and me by TalathAmanya
- When We Were Young by celestialsphere
- SWEETHEART by clintbartnn
Fanart
Interior art from Pegasus (1981). Art by Joni Wagner.
Front cover of A Tremor in the Force (1985).
Front cover of From a Certain Point of View #5 (1990). Art by Melea Fisher; it is a spoof of a 1985 controversial mainstream romance novel called "Tender Is the Storm" by Johanna Lindsay.
Inside front cover of You Could Use Another Good Kiss (2000). Art by Rebecca Carey.
Interior art for "Pursuit of the Heart," from Bloodstripe #2 (2001). Art by Leela Starsky.
Art by Laura Quiles, drawn for a fanfic (date unknown).
interior art from A Tremor in the Force #4 by Dianne Smith
Interior art from Resurrection by Kate
Art by albonet based on Klimt's The Kiss. Created as a tribute to Carrie Fisher in 2016.
Fan Comments
I find it really funny when Star Wars and Star Trek fans complain about fan discourse like shipping as if it’s a modern phenomenon. I guess you can argue that the Internet added a new layer of toxicity to everything, but both of those fandoms have had raging ship wars since before the term “ship war” was coined. Sometimes people are like “the Disney sequels got all of these obnoxious girls into the fandom and now everything is about Reylo,” and it’s like, sorry dude, but people were frothing at the mouth over Luke/Leia versus Luke/Han [2] versus Han/Leia since the moment the first movie was released. Kirk/Spock slash fic has existed in various forms since TOS came out. Say what you will about fanfiction and shipping, but they’re not new phenomena. [3]
Links & Resources
- This Is Some Rescue, a gen and het Star Wars archive with an emphasis on Han/Leia
- You Could Use Another Good Kiss!, a Han/Leia archive
- Han Solo and the Princess, a Han/Leia fansite
- Moments: Han and Leia Star Wars fan fiction, fanfiction and filks by Marjorie Joyce
- Leia Organa/Han Solo tag at Archive of Our Own
- Han S./Leia O. filter at FanFiction.Net
- hanleia tag at Tumblr
References
- ^ Tumblr post by rise-of-ahsoka, 19.08.20.
- ^ Luke/Han not so much, due to The George Lucas Letters.
- ^ Hobby Scuffles Week of April 17, 2023]; archive link by iwasonceafangirl (2023)